When Does Skin Start to Skrink After Tumescent Liposuction?

Hello Bob. It is not uncommon to have loose skin after liposuction and it can take months, even a year, for the skin to completely shrink. I advise my patients to wear a compression garment for at least the first 4-6 weeks, then I suggest they wear a second stage garment such as a Spanx for at least the next month. It's also helpful to massage the areas. And of course, you should keep all your appointments with your plastic surgeon. I hope this helps and wish you all the best! more

Dear Bob, I think the best way to understand liposuction is this: If a person has a great big belly, and he loses 50 lbs, this occurs over several months. The skin has time to contract back with the shrinking fat under the skin. With liposuction, the fat is gone in one hour. It takes the skin MONTHS to catch up sometimes. With liposuction, just like with any surgery, you need to wait for Nature to run it's course - and sometimes Nature runs kind of slow.

Initially you may look swollen and sometimes bigger than you started. Once the initial swelling subsides you will see changes. But it can take as long as six months to see the changes. This is of course if you are diligent with you diet and weight control and your exercise routine. It is also dependent on you preoperative skin elasticity and skin laxity. If you had poor elasticity and a lot of dimpling etc, you may not see a lot of skin contraction. I wish you an... more